“I was horrified this evening by a clip on CBS 4 in Denver at 10 that showed a dog being shot,” a reader emailed.

“This was unbelievably cruel and insensitive to the dog’s owner as well as to anyone who cares about animals. Not to mention, it shows horrific news judgment. What on earth was possibly gained by showing an animal suffering and writhing in pain on the news?”

The video, shot by Commerce City neighbor Ken Collins, showed two police officers and an animal control officer surrounding a 3 1/2-year-old pit bull. After attempting to control it using a taser and a neck harness, an officer fired once and then, with the dog secured, the officer shot four more rounds, killing the dog.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.